fruit and vegetables
How to strengthen the soil and your plants with primary rock flour
Primary rock flour is a natural fertilizer for vegetable beds
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The minerals and trace elements found in lava rock, basalt and diabase are a real boon for the soil: they promote the growth of fruit and vegetables and make your plants more resistant to pests and diseases. How to use primary rock flour correctly.
To stimulate plant growth, all you need is some primary rock flour. This is less of a classic fertilizer than a natural additive that is usually rich in silica, aluminum oxide, magnesium, iron, manganese, potassium and calcium. Important nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are only found in small quantities in the finely ground rock. The primary purpose of its use is to improve soil quality and water retention in the home garden – and thus automatically strengthen the plants. Primary rock flour is usually made from nutrient-rich lava rock, basalt or diabase, less often from nutrient-poor rocks such as quartz, zeolite and granite. These are used to improve soil storage capacity.
This is how primary rock flour affects the soil
Depending on the type of soil and which (weathered) stones and thus minerals are already contained in it, the primary rock powder can and should be used in different ways. For a rough orientation:
- Is it a sandy Soil is rather poor in nutrients and humus, as rain washes the nutrients out of the upper layers of the soil. Here, the nutrient content can be increased with alkaline primary rock flour. If, on the other hand, you use a flour based on Bentonitethe formation of Clay-humus complexes be stimulated.
- Is the (moor) soil rather sourthe pH value can be adjusted with calcium-containing primary rock flour based on Diabase raised and thereby neutralized. Afterwards, garden plants feel much more comfortable.
- Primary rock flour based on basalt(or granite), on the other hand, is said to help to alkaline To acidify soils that are particularly rich in lime.
- Basic Soils, such as lawns, are to be improved by adding primary rock flour from lava or basalt are supplied with nutrients.
- Would you like to see the activities in your compost In order to improve the soil quality, the use of primary rock flour based on diabase or lava rock is said to be useful.
And another tip: If you are not sure whether the soil is acidic or alkaline, for example, you can Measure pH value.
Using primary rock flour: tips for use
Since it is usually a fine to coarse-grained flour, the question arises as to how the primary rock flour should be used. Here you can choose between different methods, a few common ones are for example:
- They rake the rock powder into the soil.
- They dissolve the rock powder in water (or liquid manure).
- You sprinkle the rock powder directly on the soil or over the compost.
A notice: The fine powder releases a lot of dust, so it is advisable to wear a face mask during use.
As far as the correct dosage is concerned, as a rough guideline it is recommended to add up to 150 grams of primary rock powder to one square meter of soil for calcareous soils and 200 to a maximum of 300 grams for acidic soils. You will usually find precise information on the manufacturer’s packaging. However, since this is not a classic fertilizer, you cannot over-fertilize the soil. It is also important to know that the roots can only absorb the trace elements and minerals when the Primary rock flour has been completely decomposed. Accordingly, you should not expect any short-term effect immediately after application.
Further uses of primary rock flour
As mentioned at the beginning, the primary rock flour can not only help to promote the growth of plants: it also makes them more resistant to pests. In addition, it is said to protect against fungal diseases. In order to drive away sucking insects such as aphids, it can be helpful to sprinkle the fine powder on the affected areas – for example using a Powder bottle. Snails, on the other hand, can be kept out of the beds by spreading the primary rock powder on the ground around the vegetables as a natural barrier (approx. five centimeters wide). To prevent plant diseases, dusting the leaves can be useful in order to nip possible fungal spores in the bud – literally.
And one more tip at the end: If you make nettle manure, you can add the rock flour to neutralize the smell.
Sources: My beautiful garden, Utopia
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